Dierks Bentley thrills beer-drinking, party-going, country-lovers in Edmonton
Edmonton threw a party at Rogers Place on Thursday night to welcome Dierks Bentley back to town for his “Burning Man” Tour – named for the song that’s been such a big hit on country radio for the past year.
The arena was already buzzing with the opening lines of his tour- titled track even before the Arizona-born country star hit the stage. After two opening acts and an audience-engaging DJ set – and non-stop line-ups at all the bars – a good night was already in full swing for the energetic young crowd.
“Being onstage is where I feel most alive!” Bentley shouted. He mentioned how excited he was to play in our cities’ brand new arena and how and how every day he tries to find “something fun” in what he’s doing. He looked like he was having fun.
Dressed casually in a dark denim jean jacket, a plaid shirt and jeans, Bentley showed the laid-back confidence of an accomplished entertainer, working the big stage in a way that connected with every single body in the arena. After a few upbeat summer party songs to get the audiences’ blood pumping, Bentley intro-ed his Canadian country No. 1 hit Women, Amen. He mentioned how many “badass” women were in the room and that he wanted to “get everyone singing along to this one,” which was easily achieved. Two extra drummers joined the band to create a heart-pounding beat for his song Black before Bentley grabbed an acoustic guitar to begin another massive singalong to I Hold On.
The 43-year-old singer also took his crowd on an emotional journey, veering from the catchy 5-1-5-0 to the moving ballad of survival, Risin’, and into more uplifting songs like Livin’ and The Mountain. Soon after, Bentley made his way through the crowd (with help from security), accepting a beer from a fan on the way to a small stage in the middle of the floor. He went on to share some stories about how last time he was in Edmonton was the very first time he’d ever played “pond hockey” and how fun it was in minus 30 degree weather.
Earlier in the night, Edmonton was proud to have Grand Prairie-born and raised Tenille Townes (right) grace the stage in her very first arena tour. The crowd was very warm and welcoming as she rang out her very first radio charting single, Somebody’s Daughter.
The country hunk, Jon Pardi, took over the stage not long after for a very classic, well done, bar-like stage show which definitely went over well with the already well-liquored crowd.
Bentley brought each of them back on stage during his show, mentioning how proud he was to have the very talented Townes join him on tour this time around, and said “I had no idea she was Canadian!” The pair, both grabbing their acoustic guitars, performed a knock-out version of Bentley’s song, Different for Girls.
Pardi and Bentley shared some jokes, talking about their “old friends” before rocking out to John Deere Green and a few other classic country songs, which definitely got the crowd ready to party again.
Bentley and his bandmates didn’t disappoint through the final stretch, coming back with an encore of his ultimate party song Drunk on a Plane and the cheerful Free and Easy – which left both the crowd and the singer with smiles plastered on their faces.
Marking the sixth show of 2019 for Bentley’s “Burning Man” tour, it’s becoming obvious he’s making a memorable impact for beer-drinking, party-going, country-lovers everywhere.
Olivia Rose, age 18, is an Edmonton-based country singer recording artist who is currently on her first national radio and small town tour
READ MORE COUNTRY REVIEWS BY OLIVIA ROSE (LEAF):
Johnny Reid, March 2018, Rogers Place
Garth Brooks, February 2017, Rogers Place
Dolly Parton, September 2016, Northlands Coliseum
